retro Archives | AutoDepot

Imperia GP struts its retro hybrid stuff in Belgium

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Europe, Misc. Auto Shows, MISC

Imperia GP

Imperia GP – Click above for high-res image gallery

The modern automotive era has seen more retro brands revived than we can remember. Marques like Bugatti, Spyker, Abarth and Mini are perhaps the most prominent among them – to say nothing of counteless resurrected model nameplates from the Volkswagen New Beetle to the Dodge Challenger – and each has brought its classic caché back from the dead with a modern take on the original. Imperia, however, plans on doing one better.

Active throughout the first half of the 20th century, Imperia is back with retro styling along the lines of a Morgan or Wiesmann, but with a decidedly modern twist: it’s a hybrid. Propulsion is provided by the combination of a 207-horsepowr 1.6-liter turbo four and a 134-hp electric motor. Such a small package driven only by the electric motor can hit 62 from a standstill in a solid six seconds, or just four with internal combustion kicking in.

The product of some three years of development, the first pre-production prototype was recently unveiled at its home Belgian Auto Show, and is set to hit the market shortly with a 90,000-euro price tag, or 120,000 euros for the first edition. Take a closer look in the gallery below and in the press release after the jump.

Gallery: Imperia GP

[Source: Imperia via WorldCarFans]

Continue reading Imperia GP struts its retro hybrid stuff in Belgium

Imperia GP struts its retro hybrid stuff in Belgium originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Imperia GP struts its retro hybrid stuff in Belgium”

New Stratos unveiled in retro Alitalia rally livery [w/video]

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Lancia, Racing

New Stratos in Alitalia livery – Click above to view in slightly higher resolution

The New Stratos has been drumming up a world of enthusiasm. And with good reason: the original was one of the most iconic rally machines ever devised, and the modern tribute looks to be living up to the legend in the grandest of style. That hasn’t stopped some from saying the design doesn’t look enough like the original, but that could very well come down to the paint scheme.

No, what we really need is to see it in the same livery displayed on the original in its heyday. Fortunately that’s just what they brought out (as a mock-up from the looks of things) at the car’s debut at Paul Ricard HTTT in the South of France. Want to see more from the unveiling? Follow the jump and feast your eyes on the video footage there to be viewed.

Gallery: New Lancia Stratos

[Source: New Stratos via CarScoop]

Continue reading New Stratos unveiled in retro Alitalia rally livery [w/video]

New Stratos unveiled in retro Alitalia rally livery [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “New Stratos unveiled in retro Alitalia rally livery [w/video]”

Retro Spin: 1988 BMW M5

Filed under: Classics, Sedan, Performance, BMW, Quick Spin

25 Years After Launch, Original M5 Still Stirs The Soul

1988 BMW M5

1988 BMW M5 – Click above for high-res image gallery

“How would you like to drive a 1988 M5 up Highway 1?”

That wasn’t a call I was expecting, especially in the late summer of 2010. As far as I was concerned, any car from the 1980s still on the road was sure to be showing a few hundred thousand miles, springs coming through the seats and air conditioning blowing warm.

We all have a short list of favorite vehicles that most will never see, let alone drive.

However, BMW North America was on the other end of the phone, and the vehicle we were discussing had been pulled out of a factory museum on the East Coast and shipped to California in a covered truck. Not only did it have low miles, but this unique model was in near-mint condition.

The 1988 BMW M5 is special in more ways than one. In addition to being the first-generation M5, its production was extremely limited and each and every copy sold in North America was jet black with blacked-out trim. And there was the powerplant… BMW had essentially dropped the M1’s 24-valve 3.5-liter racing engine under the hood.

You can guess what my answer was.

Gallery: 1988 BMW M5: Retro Spin

1988 BMW M5

Continue reading Retro Spin: 1988 BMW M5

Retro Spin: 1988 BMW M5 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Retro Spin: 1988 BMW M5”

Shamelessly retro Mercedes SLK-based HMC Hidalgo looks better than expected

Filed under: Aftermarket, Classics, Coupe, Europe, Mercedes-Benz, Design/Style

HMC Hidalgo – Click above for high-res image gallery

Now here’s a pleasant surprise. The designers at Helvetic Motor Company have officially pulled back the sheets on their Hidalgo, and we have to say that while we were expecting the worst, this Swiss Miss is actually pretty sharp. When a builder announces their intention to reskin a perfectly amiable vehicle like the Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG, that typically means bad-news bears. But the Hidalgo seemingly manages to blend heaping helpings of Bugatti Atlantic-era styling with the benefit of the Silver Arrow’s considerable running gear. Power from the 5.5-liter V8 has been kept to the stock 355 horsepower and 376 lb-ft of torque, enough to make this an interesting alternative to today’s contemporary BMW-powered Morgans.

If you’re thinking the car looks like something you’d like to get your hands on, you should probably be on the phone with HMC right now. The company is apparently only planning on building six examples per year at most, each one with a price tag of $410,000 at today’s current conversion rates. Hey, we never said nostalgia was cheap.

Gallery: HMC Hidalgo

[Source: Autoblog.nl]

Shamelessly retro Mercedes SLK-based HMC Hidalgo looks better than expected originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Shamelessly retro Mercedes SLK-based HMC Hidalgo looks better than expected”